The Technical University of Košice has joined the initiative of the five research universities (Slovak University of Technology in Bratislava, University of Economics in Bratislava, University of Žilina, and Technical University in Zvolen), and together with the Automotive Industry Association of the Slovak Republic have founded the UNIVNET association in order to carry out research and development activities in the recycling and waste recovery, particularly in the automotive industry, since this is a dominant part of industry in Slovakia.

According to the latest data, in 2018 Slovakia produced annual waste volume of 2,252,000 tons; thus waste production increased by almost 10% year-on-year. Most of the waste, almost 50%, went to landfill, although in the hierarchy of waste treatment, landfilling of waste is a worse alternative than incineration - only 7% (157,000 tons) ended up in incineration plants. The most environmentally-friendly way of processing municipal waste is recycling; however, in this category Slovakia belongs to the weakest countries in the EU with the proportion of recycled waste at 36%. Leaders in recycling are Austria and Germany, which are able to recycle up to 70% of municipal waste.

In waste management, Slovakia is lagging behind. The country faces many challenges associated with greener waste management and better efficiency in waste management. This is the initiative that should contribute to higher efficiency and reduced environmental burden not only in Slovakia.